An Evolutionary Anomaly or “Barking Up the Wrong Tree”

by Wayne Jackson

An “anomaly” is defined as an abnormality, an irregularity, a deviation from the normal arrangement. In the evolutionary explanation of living creatures, there are numerous anomalies that cast grave suspicion upon the theory — to express the matter in the mildest possible way. The following are a few examples of these “deviations” from the normal arrangement that undermine Darwin’s theory of evolution.

An Explosion of Life

One would expect that, at the very bottom of the fossil record, the remains of living creatures would be extremely sparse. Contrariwise, the earliest fossil stratum reflects an “explosion of life” that is so profuse it baffles Darwinists. They portray it as one of the “major” mysteries of the history of life (Simpson, 18).

Complexity of Simple Life Forms

The earliest forms of life should be characterized by a lesser complexity than that which supposedly evolved much later. But such is not the case. The so-called “simple” forms of life are “incredibly complex” (Simpson, 15). The alleged upward swing of the evolutionary chain presents many a problem. A fern, for instance, has 500 chromosomes in the nucleus of each of its cells, a crayfish has 200, while humans have only 46. This is an anomaly.

Contemporary Fossils

Supposedly, elephants evolved millions of years after dinosaurs already had become extinct. However, fossilized elephant and dinosaur tracks have been discovered in the same rock stratum (Verrill, 162).

Ancient Fossils in Human Footprints

Evolutionists allege that the tiny marine organisms known as trilobites perished from the earth 500 million years before humans arrived. Yet fossilized trilobites have been found embedded in human sandal prints near Antelope Springs, Utah (Lammerts, 188-189). This is a blockbuster anomaly!

Fossils Found in Multiple Strata

Vertically-standing, fossilized tree trunks, some 20 to 30 feet high (two to three stories), have been found in the record of the rocks (Lammerts, 153). Some of these protrude through several rock strata that supposedly were formed over millions of years. Obviously, though, these strata were laid down quickly — before the trees had time to crumble and decay. This does not fit evolutionary theory.

I mention these examples because I ran across another anomalous case in a recent issue of a prominent science journal.

Nature magazine is Great Britain’s most prestigious science journal. Nature also has a web site that features a great variety of technical articles relating to various scientific disciplines. A few weeks back, one of these caught my eye. The article (“Stone Age man kept a dog,” by Kendall Powell) asserted: “Chimps are our closest relatives ... but they cooperate and communicate with humans very poorly” (emphasis added).

On the other hand dogs, with whom we are supposed to be related only distantly (comparatively speaking), “seem to have converged on some of our thought processes,” according to Brian Hare, an anthropologist at Harvard University. Professor Hare says that dogs have “social cognition,” which means they seem to have a “deep understanding” of human beings as opposed to chimps. Perhaps this is why no one ever coined the phrase, “The chimpanzee is man’s best friend.” Again, this phenomenon simply does not harmonize with the general theory of evolution.

The fact is, Darwin’s theory of the origin of biological species is contradicted by numerous examples of factual data. The evolutionary view of the genesis of Earth’s creatures is not only in contradiction to the Scriptures; it falls under the weight of that very discipline of which it so proudly boasts — objective science!

Thoughtful people will study this matter seriously, rather that merely accepting the whimsical quips of the popular media through which the skeptical community hawks its wares.